AI has transformed how software is written, but not how it should be engineered.

The idea of “vibe coding,” popularized by Andrej Karpathy, captured the early promise of AI-assisted development: describe your intent and let AI generate the code. While powerful for prototyping, this approach breaks down in production, where shipping code you don’t fully understand can introduce technical debt, security risks, and fragile systems.

Vibe Engineering is the next step forward.

In Vibe Engineering, developers use AI as a collaborator, not a replacement for engineering judgment. The engineer’s role evolves into that of a high-level architect and senior reviewer, responsible for system design, code quality, testing, and risk management. The focus shifts from writing code faster to building software that is safe, scalable, and maintainable.

In this video, you’ll learn why modern software engineering is centered on three core pillars: advanced code review, collaborative testing with AI tools, and rigorous risk assessment before deployment. As AI makes code generation more accessible, these engineering skills become the true differentiator.

That’s why Udacity’s AI-Powered Software Engineer Nanodegree program emphasizes real-world, AI-enabled workflows helping you build the judgment and skills required to ship production-ready software in an AI-driven world.